| VOLS LOOK FOR SERIES LEAD VERSUS RAZORBACKS
- Tennessee will hit the road for two of its final three games beginning with a trip to Fayetteville, Ark., to meet the Arkansas Razorbacks at 1 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 24, at Bud Walton Arena.
- The Vols have won four of their last five games with three of those four wins coming against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. UT has beaten No. 23 Vanderbilt, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 25 Alabama in the last two weeks.
- UT made up for one of its coldest shooting nights with one of its best defensive efforts of the season in a 69-66 overtime win over 25th-ranked Alabama Wednesday night in Knoxville. Tennessee recorded a season-high 18 steals while forcing 26 Crimson Tide turnovers. Chris Lofton led all scorers with 20 points while JaJuan Smith added 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals.
- UT's freshmen have been a huge factor in the Vols' success over the last five games. Ramar Smith is averaging 11.4 points and 2.4 assists while Wayne Chism has added 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds during the five-game stretch. Duke Crews is averaging 8.4 points on 65.4 percent shooting and Josh Tabb shooting 64.7 percent from the field. Tennessee has had at least two freshmen in the starting lineup in 21 games this season, including four games in which there were three freshmen in for the opening tip-off.
- Point guard Ramar Smith excelled for the Vols this season while learning one of the most difficult positions for a true freshman to play. Smith leads all SEC freshmen in assists (3.08) and steals (1.54) and is second in scoring (13.5 ppg) in league play. The Mt Clemens, Mich., native's driving lay-up late in overtime against No. 25 Alabama proved to be the game winner.
Tennessee Trends
- Chris Lofton is tied with Vanderbilt's Scott Draud (1986-91) for fourth on the SEC career 3-pointers made list with 288. Lofton needs 13 3-pointers to pass Vanderbilt's Ronnie McMahan (296 from 1991-95) for third on the list.
- JaJuan Smith ranks fifth on UT's single-season steals list with 61 pilfers on the year. He needs three to tie Ian Lockhart (1989-90) for fourth on the list.
- The Vols have recorded wins against each of the last three ranked teams they have faced. It is the first time UT has accomplished that since 2000-01.
- UT's 251 3-pointers this season ranks as the fourth-most in school history.
- Four times this season Tennessee has had three freshmen in the starting lineup. It is the first time since the 1996-97 season the Vols have had three freshmen in the starting lineup for a game.
- Three of UT's top five scorers are freshmen.
- Each of UT's four freshmen is averaging at least 18 minutes of action per game.
- Dane Bradshaw ranks second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.67), fifth in steals (1.82) and sixth in assists (4.68).
- Bradshaw has moved into a tie for ninth on UT's career charts with 352 career assists.
- Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith are the highest scoring duo in the Southeastern Conference. Lofton averages 20.4 points while Smith adds 15.1 points.
- Wayne Chism and Duke Crews are two of the top freshmen rebounders in the SEC. Chism leads all SEC freshmen with 5.5 rebounds and Crews is third with 5.1 boards.
- In league games, Ramar Smith leads all SEC freshmen in assists (3.08) and steals (1.54) and is second in scoring (13.5 ppg).
- Jordan Howell has made 13 of his last 27 3-point attempts (48.1 percent) and is averaging 6.1 points over his last seven games.
- The Vols are forcing 18.6 turnovers per game. Alabama's 26 turnovers against the Vols on Feb. 21 are the most in an SEC game this season.
- Tennessee is 28-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena over the last two seasons.
- The Vols are 15-0 in non-conference home games under Bruce Pearl.
- Bruce Pearl is 8-4 against ranked teams while at Tennessee. This year he is 5-3 with wins over No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Memphis, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 23 Vanderbilt and No. 25 Alabama and losses to No. 2 North Carolina, at No. 5 Ohio State and at No. 1 Florida.
- 11 different Vols have hit a 3-pointer this season. Eight have made at least 10 3-pointers.
- The Vols have made at least one 3-pointer in 312 consecutive games.
- Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 34-2 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
- UT is 26-3 when scoring 80 or more points under the direction of Bruce Pearl.
- UT is 28-14 (.667) when playing before crowds of 20,000 or larger at Thompson-Boling Arena. In 2005-06 the Vols were 4-2 playing in front of 20,000 fans at home.
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,386-901-2 in 98 seasons of basketball.
- UT's 617 regular season SEC victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 228-86 in its 20th season in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols have winning home records in 18 of their 20 seasons in the facility.
- Tennessee is the only Division I school ever to rank in the top five nationally in attendance for football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same season. The Vols turned the trick for the third time in 2005-06.
Looking At Arkansas
Arkansas slipped to 16-11 on the season and 5-8 in the Southeastern Conference with a 59-67 loss at Auburn Wednesday night ... The Razorbacks have dropped three of their last four outings ... Arkansas is 12-2 at home this season with its only home losses coming to Georgia and Kentucky ... Patrick Beverly, a 6-foot-1 guard, leads the Hogs with 14.4 points per game ... Beverly ranks in a tie for second in the SEC with an 83.3 free throw percentage ... Charles Thomas, a 6-8 junior forward, is second on the team with 11.7 points while averaging a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game ... Mississippi State transfer Gary Ervin leads the squad and ranks third in the SEC with 5.2 assists per game ... 7-foot junior Steven Hill leads the SEC with 3.0 blocks per game ... As a team, Arkansas leads the conference with 6.59 blocks ... The Hogs rank third in the league in scoring defense (65.0 ppg) ... Stan Heath is 77-68 in his fifth season in Fayetteville and 107-74 in six years as a head coach. The Arkansas Series
Saturday's game will be the 23rd all-time meeting between Tennessee and Arkansas with series tied 11-11 ... Last year Arkansas took a 73-69 win in Knoxville ... UT is just 2-5 when playing the Hogs in Fayetteville ... Tennessee has won five of the last seven meetings between the schools ... Eight of the last nine meetings have been decided by 10 points or less ... Tennessee leads the all-time series 6-2 when playing in Knoxville ... UT leads the series 2-1 when the two schools meet in the SEC Tournament ... Tennessee and Arkansas have met six times on neutral courts with the series tied 3-3 ... Tennessee leads the series 10-8 since the Razorbacks joined the Southeastern Conference prior to the 1991-92 season ... The Vols have played fewer games against the Razorbacks than any other league opponent. Last Meeting With Arkansas
Arkansas, which entered the game having beaten nationally-ranked Florida and Alabama in its previous two games, ended Tennessee's 15-game home court winning streak with a 73-69 upset of the 10th-ranked Volunteers Feb. 25, 2006, in Knoxville ... Tennessee held a 63-49 lead with 8:49 remaining when the Razorbacks went on a 15-0 run to take a 64-63 lead on an Eric Ferguson 3-pointer with 4:13 remaining ... A Chris Lofton 3-pointer put UT back in the lead 66-64 with just under four minutes left ... Baskets by Charles Thomas and Darian Townes put the Hogs in front for good ... Tennessee later cut the lead to one point (69-70) on a pair of Dane Bradshaw free throws but could not get a defensive stop as Jonathon Modica hit a pair of free throws on Arkansas' next possession ... C.J. Watson, who wore a No. 53 throwback jersey to honor former Vol Bernard King, led UT with 17 points ... Chris Lofton was limited to just seven shots but managed 12 points ... JaJuan Smith came off the bench to add 11 points, five assists and seven rebounds ... Townes led Arkansas with 15 points while Modica added 14 ... The Razorbacks held a 45-24 rebounding advantage against the Vols. Last Game: Vols Beat No. 25 Alabama In OT
Tennessee overcame a cold-shooting performance to knock off 25th-ranked Alabama 69-66 in overtime Wednesday, Feb. 21, in Knoxville ... The Vols converted just 27 of their 81 shots (33.3 percent), including 7-of-36 (19.4 percent) from 3-point range ... With their shots not falling the Vols relied on their defense, registering 18 steals on 26 Crimson Tide turnovers ... Despite not scoring for nearly six minutes at the end of the first half, the Vols held onto a 30-26 lead at halftime ... UT pushed its lead to as many as nine points in the second half but Alabama fought back to take the lead (50-48) on a 3-pointer by Mykal Riley ... The Vols regained the lead on a JaJuan Smith 3-pointer with 8:20 remaining but UT did not score again until Chris Lofton drilled a 3 with 2:43 to go ... Lofton's triple cut the Bama lead to two points and then a Ramar Smith lay-in tied the score ... Lofton gave UT a two-point lead with a pair of free throws but Mikhail Torrance sent the game to overtime with a running left-hander with 7.4 seconds left ... UA scored the first four points of the extra period but a Lofton 3-pointer and Duke Crews tip-in gave the Vols the lead for good ... Lofton led all scorers with 20 points despite 6-of-22 shooting from the field ... JaJuan Smith added 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals ... Wayne Chism had 11 oints and Ramar Smith contributed nine points, three assists and four steals ... Riley led the Tide with 15 points while Richard Hendrix had 10 points and 10 rebounds ... Alabama shot 43.6 percent from the field and held a 52-41 advantage on the boards. Vols Aim For 20 Wins
A win Saturday would give Tennessee its second consecutive 20-win season ... It would be the 20th time the Vols have won 20 games in a single season ... It would be the 14th 20-win season in 15 years as a head coach for Bruce Pearl ... Pearl has averaged 23.9 wins in his 15 years as a head coach ... Last year UT posted a 22-8 overall record. The Road Has Been Rough On Vols
The road has been anything but kind to Tennessee this season ... The Vols are 15-0 when playing at Thompson-Boling Arena this season but are just 1-7 when playing on their opponent's homecourt (including 0-6 in SEC road games) ... UT is 3-2 in neutral site games. We've Been Close On The Road
Although UT is still searching for its first conference road win, the Vols have been in most all of the games on their opponent's home court. - UT has been winning at halftime in five of its six SEC road games. The only game the Vols did not hold the halftime lead was at No. 1 Florida (2/3/07).
- Vanderbilt needed a tip-in at the buzzer for an 82-81 win over the Vols.
- Ohio State, a team that is currently ranked No. 1 in one poll, needed a 3-pointer with 11.2 seconds left to earn a 68-66 win over UT in Columbus.
- Three of the road losses came with leading scorer Chris Lofton sitting on the bench with an ankle injury.
- In 2005-06 the Vols were 6-2 in SEC road games.
Bradshaw Named Captain Of All-Glue Team
Dane Bradshaw has been named the captain of SI.com's eighth annual All-Glue team, a squad picked by Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis to recognize the players who do the little things that make teams stick together ... It was the second time that he has been selected to the All-Glue team, having also earned the honor last year ... Joining Bradshaw on the 2007 All-Glue Team are Kyle Shiloh (Nevada), Dominique Kirk (Texas A&M), Othello Hunter (Ohio State) and Marcus Landry (Wisconsin). Lofton A Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 Pick
On Jan. 30 the John R. Wooden Award Committee announced the Wooden Award Midseason All-American Team which is composed of the top 30 players who will compete for this season's player of the year award ... The Southeastern Conference lists six candidates for the award ... The 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced March 27. Home Wins
Tennessee's 15 wins at Thompson-Boling Arena this year are tied for the most wins in a season in the 20 seasons at the facility ... UT has posted a 15-0 home record with one game remaining ... The 1999-2000 squad was the only other team to win 15 games (15-1) in the arena. - The last time the Vols finished a season unbeaten at home was in 1975-76 when UT went 13-0 at Stokely Athletic Center. The Vols have gone unbeaten at home 13 times in school history.
- The school record for most homecourt wins in a season came during the 1984-85 season when the Vols posted a 16-3 record at Stokley Athletic Center.
He's Back
Tennessee has won four of its five games since Chris Lofton has returned to the lineup from an ankle injury that forced him to miss four games ... Three of UT's four wins since his return have come against ranked teams ... The Vols were 1-3 in the three games without Lofton in the lineup ... The junior All-America candidate suffered an ankle injury against South Carolina (1/20/07) and was not able to return to the lineup until the LSU game (2/6/07). UT's Babies Stop Big Baby
Freshmen forwards Wayne Chism and Duke Crews combined to hold LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis to his lowest scoring total since his freshman year in Tennessee's 70-67 victory over LSU ... The 2006 SEC Player of the Year, Davis was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, his lowest scoring output in 72 games ... It was the 6-foot-9 junior's fourth-lowest scoring total of his career ... Chism, a 6-foot-9 forward, finished the game with six points and three rebounds while Crews, a 6-foot-7 forward, had six points and three blocks. Lofton Lately
- Leads the SEC with 20.4 points per game.
- Leads the SEC with 3.38 3-pointers per game.
- Second in the SEC with 83.3 free throw percentage.
- According to the Feb. 18 NCAA statistics, he ranks 20th in the nation in scoring (20.4), 10th in 3-pointers per game (3.4), 17th in 3-point percentage (44.3).
- 81 3-pointers this season rank seventh on UT's single-season charts.
- Shooting 42.4 percent (81-of-191) from behind the arc this season. Jon Higgins (2000-01) owns the school record at 48.6 percent (53-of-109).
- Made at least five 3-pointers in a game eight times.
- Made at least two 3s in 30 of his last 35 games.
- Owns three of the top five scoring performances in the SEC this year.
- Scored 30 or more points five times this season.
- Has shot 120 free throws this season after shooting just 101 free throws in his first two years at Tennessee.
- Scored 28 of his career-high 35 points after halftime to lead the Vols from a 17-point second half deficit to a 111-105 overtime win over Texas (12/23/06).
- Scored his first career double-double with 35 points and 11 rebounds against Texas (12/23/06).
- Scored 34 points in Tennessee's win over 16th-ranked Memphis (12/6/06). With less than a minute left in the first half his 21 points were more than the Tigers' 20 points.
- He reached the 1,000 career scoring mark Nov. 22 against Butler in New York's Madison Square Garden ... He currently ranks 17th on UT's career scoring lists with 1,416 career points ... Only Allan Houston (1,415), Bernard King (1,290), Mike Edwards (962) and Ernie Grunfeld (928) scored more points in their first two seasons at Tennessee.
Chism Is Third Vol To Earn SEC Frosh Honor
Wayne Chism was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12 after he recorded his third career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in UT's win over 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt (2/10/07) ... Chism became the third UT player to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors this year ... Ramar Smith has earned the honor two times (Jan. 8 and Feb. 5) and Duke Crews has won it one time (Dec. 24) ... UT is the only team in the conference to have three different freshmen win the weekly award this season. Bernard King's Number 53 Retired
Tennessee retired Bernard King's No. 53 at halftime of the Vols' Feb. 13 game against Kentucky ... King became the first men's basketball player at UT to have his number retired ... Considered one of the best players in SEC history, King played at UT from 1974-77, earning first team All-America honors in each of his three seasons ... A three-time SEC Player of the Year, he led the Vols to the 1977 SEC championship with a 22-6 overall record and a 16-2 mark in the league ... The Brooklyn, N.Y., native finished his career ranking second all-time at UT with 1,962 career points and 1,004 rebounds ... Following his junior season he was drafted in the first round (seventh overall selection) by the New Jersey Nets ... During his 14-year career in the NBA he was a two-time first team All-NBA selection, four-time NBA All-Star and finished his career with a scoring average of 22.5 points per game. UT One Of SEC's Top Scoring Teams
Tennessee is second in the SEC and ranks 11th nationally in scoring offense with 80.1 points per game ... Leading the league in scoring is nothing new for a Bruce Pearl coached team ... Pearl's teams have led their conference in scoring each of the last seven seasons ... The last time one of his squads did not lead the league in scoring was in 1998-99 when Southern Indiana finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with 81.2 points per game. Tough Schedule
Tennessee's schedule ranked as the fourth toughest in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com on Feb. 22 ... The Vols' non-conference slate has featured eight teams currently ranked and another two receiving votes in the Associated Press poll ... UT has played No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 7 Memphis, No. 15 Butler, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 19 Texas and No. 25 Alabama (current rankings listed) ... The Vols also have another game against No. 3 Florida remaining on their schedule. Tough Schedule Part 2: The Rankings
- Tennessee has played eight games against ranked teams this season. UT has won five of those games.
- Each of the Vols' three losses to ranked teams came away from home and to teams ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll. UT lost to No. 2 North Carolina (87-101) in New York, at No. 5 Ohio State (66-68) and at No. 1 Florida (78-94).
- UT has won three straight games against ranked teams, beating No. 23 Vanderbilt (84-57), No. 20 Kentucky (89-85) and No. 25 Alabama (69-66 in ot).
Vols Have Started Three Freshmen
UT has had three freshmen in the starting lineup for four games this season ... It is the most freshmen in the starting lineup for the Vols since the 1996-97 season when four Vols started an SEC Tournament game ... Ramar Smith, Wayne Chism and Duke Crews started UT's game against Ole Miss (1/24/07) and then Josh Tabb joined Smith and Chism in the starting lineup for the Kentucky (1/28/07), Georgia (1/31/07) and Florida (2/3/07) games ... South Carolina is the only other SEC school to have three freshmen in the starting lineup for a game this season (one player was a redshirt freshman) ... The four freshmen who drew starting assignments for Tennessee's 1997 SEC Tournament game were Cornelius Jackson, C.J. Black, Charles Hathaway and Vegas Davis. Vols Bring The Pressure
Tennessee's pressure defense has made the simple act of inbounding the ball a headache for its opponents ... The Vols have forced 150 turnovers off inbounds plays, most of which are coming off their press ... Three times their opponents have had 10 or more turnovers just from trying to inbound the ball ... UT is forcing an average of 18.6 turnovers per game. - 27 times the pressure has caused a timeout.
- 18 5-second counts have been called on UT's foes.
- Coppin State (11/19/06) committed a season-high 13 turnovers on inbounds plays alone.
- No. 25 Alabama (2/21/07) had 26 turnovers, including nine on inbounds plays.
Vols In The NCAA Stats
UT is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the February 18 NCAA statistics. - Scoring offense: 80.5 ppg / 10th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.0 3pg / 15th
- Steals per game: 9.4 spg / 18th
- Assists per game: 15.6 apg / 46th
- Points per game: Chris Lofton - 20.4 ppg / 20th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.4 3pg / 10th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 44.3% / 17th
- Steals per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.0 spg / 47th
- 3-pointers per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.6 3pg / 97th
- Steals per game: Dane Bradshaw - 1.9 spg / 88th
- Assists per game: Dane Bradshaw - 4.8 apg / 67th
Scholarly Vols
Nine of the 17 players on Tennessee's roster have earned the right to wear the VOLScholar patch on their jersey following the fall semester ... The VOLScholar program, an initiative of UT's Thornton Athletics Student Life Center in cooperation with the men's and women's athletics departments, is a comprehensive academic and citizenship-building program that has gained enthusiastic support from several of UT's athletic teams ... Student-athletes earn the right to wear the VOLScholar patch by achieving a 3.0 grade-point average in the previous fall and/or spring semester. Bomb Squad Is Back
Tennessee returns 80.3 percent of its SEC-leading 8.80 3-point field goals per game from last season ... Leading the way is junior guard Chris Lofton who set a single-season school record with 114 triples in 2005-06 ... JaJuan Smith was second on the team with 61 treys while Dane Bradshaw contributed 20 3-pointers and Jordan Howell had 15 ... Tennessee's 264 3-pointers in 2005-06 fell two shy of tying the school record set in 1999-2000. - UT is second in the SEC with 8.96 3-pointers per game.
- Lofton leads the SEC with 3.38 triples per game.
- JaJuan Smith is fourth in the SEC with 2.54 3-pointers per game.
- Tennessee's 15 3-pointers against second-ranked North Carolina (11/24/06) came just one short of tying the school record of 16.
Attendance Continues To Grow
Just one year after having the largest increase in average attendance in the nation, Tennessee is continuing to see its attendance grow ... In 2005-06 the crowds at UT's home games increased by 5,504 fans per game to an average of 17,954 ... This year the crowds have increased by and additional 1,414 fans per game for an average of 19,368 ... In the two years that Bruce Pearl has been coach at Tennessee, attendance has grown by 6,918 per game. Bench Contributing
Tennessee's bench has played a key role in the Vols' success early this season ... UT's bench is averaging 22.1 points per game ... Two times this season the bench has contributed at least 40 points in a game ... Last year UT got 21.0 points per game from its bench ... Part of the reason for the production off the bench is that no one averages 30 minutes per game. JaJuan Smith Earns Star(ting) Role
Named the "Best Player Off The Bench" in the SEC by The Tennessean last year, JaJuan Smith has worked his way into the starting lineup for the Vols this season ... The Cleveland, Tenn., native ranks second on the team with 15.1 points, is first with 61 steals and third with 41 assists while making 71 3-pointers this year. - He is fourth in the SEC with 2.54 3-pointers per game on the season.
- He has scored 20 or more points in a game eight times this season.
- Led UT's scoring efforts 10 times this season after leading the Vols in scoring once last year.
- He scored 19 points in UT's win over Texas (12/23/06).
- Scored a career-high 25 points on 5-of-11 3-point shooting at Kentucky (1/28/07).
- 15.5 points in SEC games rank seventh in the league.
- Two times this season has recorded six steals in a game, narrowly missing the school record of seven. He has registered six pilfers against No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Alabama.
Big Game Dane
Three times in his career Dane Bradshaw has made a late shot to knock off a nationally ranked team ... Two of the teams that fell victim to his late-game heroics were unbeaten entering the game. - Jan. 21, 2006 his lay-up with 20 seconds left gave UT a 78-76 lead and eventually an 80-76 victory over No. 2 Florida. The Gators entered the game with a 17-0 record and were the last unbeaten team in the nation.
- Feb. 22, 2006 his steal of an inbounds pass and layup with 15 seconds left gave Tennessee a 74-72 lead and a 76-72 win at 12th-ranked Florida. The win gave the Vols the 2005-06 SEC Eastern Division title.
- Dec. 18, 2006 against 11-0 and 15th-ranked Oklahoma State he stole the ball with 20 seconds left and then hit the game-winning tip-in over OSU's 6-7 Mario Boggan and 6-8 David Monds with 1.9 seconds left to give the Vols a 79-77 victory.
Bradshaw Does It All
One of the most versatile players in the nation, Dane Bradshaw can and will play any position for the Vols from point guard through power forward ... Originally recruited to UT as a point guard, the 6-foot-4 Bradshaw started every game last season at power forward for the Vols ... In 2005-06 the Memphis native was second on the team in assists (116), rebounding (5.4 rpg), and third in steals (56) and blocks (11) while his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.76 led the SEC ... Had a streak of 181 minutes (seven games) without a turnover as a junior last year. - Bradshaw leads the Vols in assists (131) and is second in steals (51) and fourth in blocks (13).
- He has led the Vols in assists 17 out of 28 games this year and recorded a career-high nine dimes against Coppin State (11/19/06).
- Had nine assists against one turnover while adding seven points and seven rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- He was named the captain of SI.com's All-Glue team on Feb. 20.
- In SEC games he is averaging 5.15 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.79.
Remarkable Ramar
Freshman point guard Ramar Smith has made significant improvements to his game as the season has worn on ... In his first 11 games this season he averaged 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.7 while struggling to adjust to the point guard position ... In the 17 games since then he is averaging 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game ... On the season, the 6-foot-2 Smith is averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.7 minutes per game. - He has earned 22 starting assignments.
- Against Texas (12/23/06) he scored 16 points to go with nine assists and no turnovers.
- Gathered a career-high nine rebounds at No. 5 Ohio State (1/13/07).
- Scored 17 points to go with seven assists and one turnover at Vanderbilt (1/10/07).
- He has scored 10 or more points in 17 of his last 19 games.
- He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 8 after he had 13 points, seven assists (one turnover), six rebounds and two blocks in the SEC opener against Mississippi State.
- Earned his second SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Feb. 5 after he scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Georgia (1/31/07).
- In league games, he leads all SEC freshmen in assists (3.08) and steals (1.54) and is second in scoring (13.5 ppg).
- Ranks 16th in the SEC with 13.5 points per game in league games.
- His driving lay-up with 30 seconds left in overtime against No. 25 Alabama proved to be the winning basket as the Vols took a 69-66 victory.
Big Wayne Strong In The Paint
Freshman center Wayne Chism has played a key role for a Tennessee team that lists just two players taller than 6-foot-7 ... A 6-9 native of Boliver, Tenn., Chism became the first Vols freshman to record a double-double since Vincent Yarbrough (22 points and 11 rebounds vs. Georgia) did it during the 1998-99 season when he had 11 points and 11 rebounds against Coppin State (11/19/06) ... Chism leads the Vols with 5.5 rebounds and is fourth on the squad with 9.2 points per game. - Chism has 11 starting assignments and has been the first Vol off the bench in 15 of UT's 28 games.
- Had nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes against 15th-ranked Oklahoma State (12/18/06).
- Scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds in the win over Texas (12/23/06).
- Registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina (1/20/07).
- Scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds at No. 1 Florida (2/3/07).
- Had his third double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt (2/10/07).
- Since moving into the starting lineup against Ole Miss (1/24/07) he is averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds.
- In eight games against ranked opponents, he averages 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from 3-point range.
Crews Missile
One of the most heralded freshmen in the SEC this season, Duke Crews has not disappointed ... The 6-foot-7 forward earned a starting assignment in the Vols season-opener and has won over Tennessee fans with his hustle and athleticism ... Named the SEC Newcomer of the Year by Lindy's and Athlon, the Hampton, Va., native is averaging 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. - Scored 17 points and nine rebounds against a larger Oklahoma State (12/18/06) front line. Five of his game-high nine rebounds came at the offensive end of the floor.
- Earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 24 after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in victories over No. 15 Oklahoma State and Texas.
- Earned his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- Tagged 20th-ranked Kentucky (2/13/07) for 18 points and a pair of blocks.
- 69 of his 142 rebounds (49 percent) have come at the offensive end of the floor.
- He is third among all SEC freshmen with 5.1 rebounds.
- Ranks seventh in the SEC with 2.46 offensive rebounds per game.
Howell Is A Steadying Influence
Jordan Howell suffered a fracture to his right (shooting) hand during practice Dec. 21 that caused him to miss seven games ... He returned to the lineup against South Carolina (1/20/07) ... The injury interrupted a very strong season for the junior point guard ... A starter for five games before the injury, Howell hadn't been putting up big numbers and that was just fine with head coach Bruce Pearl ... Howell, who made his first career start against the Louisiana-Lafayette (11/27/06), is averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game ... But the most significant statistic for Howell has been his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.13-to-1 ... In 378 minutes played this season Howell has turned the ball over just 15 times. - In 204 minutes (10 games) of action since returning from the hand injury he has committed just seven turnovers.
- Scored a career-high 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting against Georgia (1/31/07).
- Last seven games is shooting 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from 3-point range.
Hard Work Pays Off For Childress
There's a saying that goes, "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." .. That couldn't be more true for UT sophomore forward Ryan Childress ... As a true freshman last season the Cincinnati, Ohio, product averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 29 appearances for the Vols ... A summer of hard work resulted in him dropping 20 pounds and adding more than seven inches to his vertical leap ... That hard work in the offseason has paid huge dividends for the 6-foot-9 Childress as he is averaging 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. - Childress needed just four games this season to score more points than he did all season as a freshman. He scored 43 points through UT's first four games after having 33 points in 29 games as a freshman.
- Has set or tied career highs for points (14), rebounds (11), assists (4), blocks (3) and steals (3).
- He doubled his previous career rebounding best of five when he grabbed 10 boards against Western Kentucky (11/16/06).
- Recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- He earned his first career start against East Tennessee State (12/30/06).
Thompson-Boling Provides Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena is celebrating its 20th season in 2006-07 ... The Vols have won 72.6 percent of their games in Thompson-Boling Arena and have ranked in the top 10 nationally in attendance nine times, including in 2005-06 when UT ranked fifth nationally with 17,954 fans per game ... The arena is getting ready to undergo its first major facelift as construction has already begun on a practice facility and construction will begin on the inside of the arena immediately following the 2006-07 season. - Tennessee is 228-86 (.726) in its 20th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 128-27 (.819) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 59-20 against SEC teams at home over the last nine seasons.
- UT has won 75 of its last 82 home games against non-conference opponents.
- UT is 15-0 in home games against non-conference opponents under Bruce Pearl.
- Tennessee is 15-0 at home this season.
UT To Make Summer European Trip
The Tennessee basketball team will travel to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria on a five-game summer tour from August 8-19, 2007 ... The Vols will play three games in Prague and one in both Bratislava and Vienna ... Vacation packages must be booked by May 1 and are available through Basketball Travelers Inc. ... Fans interested in joining the Vols can get more information about the trip at www.basketballtravelers.com. Two Sign In Early Period
On the first day of the early signing period Cameron Tatum and Brian Williams signed national letters of intent to play basketball at the University of Tennessee beginning with the 2007-08 season. - Tatum, a versatile 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing from Patterson Prep in Lenoir, N.C., can put the ball on the floor and create, hit the 3-pointer or take the ball to the rim ... Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 13 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com, he averaged 21 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior at Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga.
- A 6-9, 300-pound post player at Harmony Community Prep in Cincinnati, Williams will give the Vols much needed depth and size in the paint ... A player with exceptional hands, good feet and a soft shooting touch, he attended Christopher Columbus High School in Bronx, N.Y., before going to Harmony Prep where he was a teammate of current Vols freshman Josh Tabb.
Prince Joins Vols
Bruce Pearl announced Jan. 16 that J.P. Prince has enrolled at Tennessee and will join the Vols' basketball team ... A 6-foot-6 guard, Prince will be allowed to practice with the team immediately and will be eligible to play as a sophomore beginning in January 2008 ... Prince transferred to Tennessee from the University of Arizona where he made three appearances for the nationally-ranked Wildcats this season ... As a freshman last year he averaged 2.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28 games ... At White Station High School in Memphis he led the Spartans to a 142-12 record and three state championships (2002-04) ... He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Tennessee as a senior in 2005 after averaging 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. |
